Been following you since the day you took delivery of the Ami. Cannot believe you are now so experienced and giving out these kinds of tips. Great video's, lads. Keep up the fantastic work....
Very surprising that Citroen have not made the replaceable 12v battery more accessible. I am sure if this is not corrected in future model updates the battery leads could be extended to a convenient interior location by any competent electrician for easy charging access. Leaving the battery location as-is.
I'm also kind of worried about how exposed the terminals are, and if they might corrode. I cant imagine the salty winter roads in southern Norway, 6 months a year are ideal way to make them last.
Yes agree. a charging lead is easily run from the 12v to inside the cabin via the trap door behind the seats... I have this connected to an Optimate 3. - lazily, I had the garage put it on a ramp and they connected my lead to the 12v and fed it thru' - you could dismantle the rear section of the vehicle but this is something I personally did not fancy doing. I leave it connected to the 12v charger every time I park back in the garage.. as I do my motorbike... cars on Optimate solar panel conditioning system all the time parked outside
Not quite sure why I’m fascinated by how to boost a 12 volt battery on a quad I don’t have any intention of ever owning! That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the latest from you guys…. Mike
Have had similar problems with my Ioniq Bev. The elephant in the room is the Mickey mouse software which doesn't ensure that all the electronics are shut down when the car is switched off. Everything apart from that may be useful(I have a similar jump starter pack myself) but is actually a £30 sticking plaster non fix on a £30k lemon.
Those jump starters are amazing. I bought one last winter as the car battery was a bit knackered and it got us out of several scrapes! Add to that a small solar panel to keep the battery topped up and your always good to go!
This has been an issue for at least eight years with most EVs. The traction battery is supposed to use a DC to DC converter to keep the 12v DC battery fully charged but for many different reasons fails to do that. Many EV drivers carry such a booster. I also have a diary note to put the 12v battery on a smart charger at least once a month whether it seems to need it or not. Smart rather than a dumb charger that you inherited from your dad. They check the battery first and then run a remedial programme before going on to charge as required. That usually prevents the need to use a booster in inconvenient circumstances. Keeping a wary eye on that 12v battery rather than becoming stranded is a better strategy.
@@MeandMonAmi Not at all. Its been a running sore for years. Some dealers just change the 12v under guarantee and a month later change it again claiming it must be a bad batch. But it's not. It's a failure by the manufacturer to arrange a proper system to keep the 12v topped up at all times.
@@Hitstirrer I use an Optimate 3 as I do with motorbike every time it goes back into the garage at home - needas a 1.6 m. extension lead in addition to the Optimate - all available via Probike in Northampton - Karl is your man he is super knowledgeable
Useful gadget! Why couldn’t Citroen though make the battery easily accessible? You’d think they would figure that out when they designed the Ami. Oh well.
Why isn't the running 12v battery kept charged? I reckon it is charged when the drive batteries are charged, but if using the lights, that would use the 12 v battery up, thought they would run off of the main drive batteries.
It is Paul. We’ve never had a problem BUT others who leave the car for a few weeks unused have (but so does My Dad with his petrol car as he uses it very little)
I have taken out insurance .... at Pach I call the insurance, and they come to pick up the Ami and bring it to the garage, So a product that is not usable, since you can't reach the battery!
Be easy to attach accessible cables , even trickle charge it from a small solar panel if you wire it up to a cigarrette lighter or similar .Would cost Citroen pence
@@MeandMonAmi yes and pretty compact so easy to leave in the car, i wonder if they could have made the battery more difficult to access in the Ami ? :)
How do you actually reach the battery to connect the jumper cables? Can you fit your bod under the end of the "car"? Do you need to carry a small jack to lift it up? (Can you lift it up by hand?). 😜 Thanks for sharing all your tips. I feel so much more prepared for the my own Ami now (should it ever arrive). *Love your videos (and Mr Boo's faces). 😀
I think the easiest way would be to just unscrew the rear panel but you could reach it underneath. Certainly doesn’t need a jack. Hope you enjoy yours!
It seems a bit bizarre to me that on an Ami that you would not have this battery either linked to the main system so it gets charged when you charge the Ami or have a port somewhere that you could just connect a jump pack like this to !! , If I had an ami I would get a Vehicle electrician to wire up a port to a convenient location by the dashboard where you could just plug in the jump pack there 🙂 Actually when I move o Spain I will do this as i really want an Ami just to tootle around the neighbourhood. ..... P.s Keep up the good work Tim & Mr Boo 😉😉👍🏼👍🏼
Hi guys. I already found the article available on the official website. The first time I selected it wrong and looked for where the articles were not. Have a happy holiday.
Very useful video indeed. By the way I own a Prius which also has a small 12V battery hidden in the trunk. When this one goes flat, you are done even if the main batteries are full. Small batteries like these have a life span of +- 5 years. At the end of their life they will let you down. So better to be equipped with this kind of powerbank to jump start and replace your 12V battery...
actually, citroen recommends to disconnect this battery in the case the car is not used for a longer period. during normal operation there is a dc/dc charger working to fill the 12 volt batt from the drive battery as soon as ignition switch is on. for some still unknown reason this charging does not happen if the 12v batt is too low already. if anybody has further info to this, i would appreciate that very much (ami owner)
This was the reason that early EVs had a major problem with 12 v auxiliary lead acid batteries running down. Tesla and I think it was the Atom, went to lithium 12v auxiliaries, but at a serious cost. We’re talking £450-500 a battery!
that's really handy to know - I always keep my motorbike connected to an optimate 12v battery charger/optimiser and its so ressuring - I have a lead that comes from the bike battery to the exterior of the bike (as supplied by Optimate with the charger that avoids having to take panels off or grub about.... this way you always have a battery in peak condition and it de-sulphates it too - go to The Optimate website ....
The EZ way would be to charge the 12V lead-acid from the 48V lifepo4 battery. If they have common ground this can be done with a HV DC_DC converter adjusted to 13.8V. They cost $1 for a 2Amps one on ali. If there is no common groung you need a potential free converter which is more difficult to find. Easiest way is to use an AC converter with 48V DC. Unluckily they dont sell the ami in switzerland so i can not test this.
Firstly , the battery seems very exposed to the elements, without any protection. Bad design. Secondly , how the heck are you supposed to crawl underneath to connect said starter pack?
I thought you said Topman so I googled topman jumpers and got lots of results for casual sweaters. Anyway, thanks for the video, that looks a good piece of kit. We have a Twizy so would have to remove the front bumper to access the battery but the Topdon would be great for carrying in the car.
@@MeandMonAmi Yes. Having watched some Twizy RU-vid videos it looks like it's quite easy to remove the bumper though so it's not too bad, maybe easier to get to than the Ami.
You're slowly becoming a very experienced Ami mechanic 🤣🤣 Rather a stupid inaccessible place for the 12v battery to be stored.........some people may not physically be able to get down on their hands and knees. The 12v batteries on my mobility scooter gradually lose their power if they don't get charged up regularly. If I've not used my scooter for about 5 days I give the batteries a charge.
Mechanic is a strong word Annie and it’s not something we’ve had a problem with but I know some people have. Easily resolved but as you say not if you have mobility issues
Interesting to know about this jump starter, you would think this battery would be automatically charged from the main battery, I wonder why it doesn’t or have I made a mistake? I love your videos, the music & laughter is such a tonic! Citroen should certainly benefit you in some way! John in Monmouth 🏴
That’s a handy gizmo for sure. You seem to have all areas covered now 👍 The 12v battery died on our three year old Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, however I was able to start the car from its internal main battery by carrying out a simple starting procedure while sitting in the drivers seat, no scrabbling about under the bonnet or whatever. Am a bit surprised Citroen don’t have this this fasciitis on the Ami. Perhaps it’s a cost or weight issue.
Mister Me and Mister Boo that is a handy bit of kit to have. Like you said it's the same with most things on cars if there left unused then these type of problems exist. Think your spot on about the NASA rocket 🚀 i think it's still on pole position isn't it..?? Any way excellent vlog with the usual quips & jokes keep up the excellentcontent👌.
I can’t believe we didn’t see you on the floor attempting to attach it😂. Not enough wine consumed this afternoon?!! Look forward to the next video. Just so as you know, it’s wet and crap at home in Dewsbury and surrounds 🤷🏻♂🙄
Your videos are truly entertaining and being Italian have certainly enjoyed your visits over the border, I too have a jump starter from Halfords, had to use it once on a friend's car on our street, and it's very similar to yours on the video, keep the videos coming excellent guys.
@@MeandMonAmi Italy is certainly a lovely place to visit and stay, looking forward to seeing more visits across the border, makes me feel at home, thank you again for your enlightening videos.
Hola. Tengo unas preguntas, esta pequeña batería de 12 voltios que función desempeña en el Ami? para que sirve esta pequeña batería de 12 voltios? Donde tiene instalada la batería de 48 voltios, con la cual hace funcionar el motor del Vehículo? Gracias por la atención. Saludos desde España 🇪🇸 👋
Great info, we know how much you love Elton but if you had it to do over, a year later, would you rebuy? or would you buy a different type of sans permis EV? the price has gone up quite a bit, fully loaded now is 9k and no delivery until July!
at the end of the day now, how much have you spent Extra for all the devices and needs to complete the car, this new item and the list of items you recommended before? to complete the car to the level you have it now? can you add it all together for a final total??
so to connect the jump starter you go flat on your back under the car and hope to find wich is wich as the two poles of the accu have the same colour so to see?! Or is there a hatch to do it from the top..
Thanks for tip Tim. Seems like a necessary bit of kit for an Ami owner. As we saw in your previous video where you test ran the main battery flat and then the 12V battery, charging the main battery charges the 12V battery as well so if you have access to a mains socket perhaps plugging the Ami in for a charge should solve the flat 12V battery given some time. Also Tim, when you were under Elton's bum with the gopro, I noticed the 12v battery was only 4 amp hours, or less than 1/2 of a full-sized motorbike battery. Pretty marginal in my opinion for Elton, and if I had an Ami I'd get a high capacity 12V Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePO4 or LFE) replacement battery that depending on choice would provide 3 to 10 times the capacity of your stock lead-acid battery for about $80 to $200, and should last several times the factory battery. I would want to verify that the Ami's charger could handle the higher capacity but I expect it would not be an issue. One downside of LFP batteries is that while they can be used below freezing, they cannot be charged at freezing temperature. Somethign else comes to mind, first being that when off charge the Ami's charging inverter that takes power from the main drive battery has limited capacity, and possibly less than a petrol car alternator and placing an excessive of load on the 12V system could leave the 12V battery discharged.. Stay Charged!
@@parkview113 Can you please explain as to why that might be, and how the 12V battery would then be charged? My assumption based on other EV's, that there is likely a DC to DC voltage converter / Charger that uses the main drive battery (in the Ami's case 48V I believe), to charge the 12v battery when the main drive battery contactor is closed and providing power to the motor drive system. When the drive system is off, and the main battery is being charged, I suspect the DC to DC 12V charging system would also be off, and if the 12 battery was discharged to low to engage the drive battery contactor, then and the main battery was charged, it would make sense to have a low current charger to bring the 12v battery up to operating voltage to engage the main drive electrics. My speculation anyway...
@@parkview113 Thanks, I used to have company that built electric aircraft tugs, and before that worked as an electrical tech and engineer of sorts, and I always appreciate the opportunity to use those old brain cells Thinking about it a bit more, I suppose it would also be possible to not use a second 12V charger during main battery charging have a bypass circuit that would power up the DC to DC converter used to charge the 12V battery when charging the main battery, but in either case the amount of 12V power is likely fairly limited. It's impressive how much of a real electric car Citroen was able to include in the Ami for the price. I'd love to have one.
Thank you for pointing out this problem and providing a solution, I live next door to some nuns so I think they might oblige and get down on their knees to assist but how do I get them under such a small space , does look like you would have to be a member of the AA that's the motoring one's to boost one's battery if it fails .
